All Chapters of A Love Let Go, A Past Forgotten: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

Zoey's POVYale froze at my words. He glanced at Willa, who looked just as bewildered, before turning back to me, his voice full of irritation."What's with the childish attitude? We're about to get married. Can't you be a little more mature, like Willa? Stop joking about our marriage, okay?"Immature. That was the 196th flaw he'd found in me.We'd been together for nine years, from our school days into our careers. Yet whenever Willa was around, Yale always found some reason I should step aside for her.Willa was more popular, so she went to his friends' gatherings instead of me. She was more outgoing, so she got to take my place in couples' interviews. Her foreign language was better, so I was expected to give up my spot on a study trip with him.Eventually, everyone assumed Yale and Willa were the couple, while I, his actual girlfriend, was kept hidden away like some dirty little secret.For years, I wondered if I simply wasn't good enough, and I did everything I could to change. Ju

Back at the home Yale and I were supposed to share after our wedding, I opened the suitcase beside the bed and began packing. We'd only moved in a month ago, so there wasn't much to take. Once I'd thrown away the ring box I'd kept hidden for nine years, there was even less.I'd just closed my suitcase when an electronic voice rang out from the front door."Lady Lawson has arrived! Everybody, make way!"A gust of salty sea air swept inside, and I stared in surprise as Willa pushed the door open."Zoey, why'd you come back early without telling us? Yale and I waited forever for you at the beach!"Ignoring her reproachful look, I kept my eyes fixed on the door."How did you get in?""Yale registered my fingerprint on the very first day! Did you hear my special welcome message? Pretty awesome, right?"I nodded, a bitter taste filling my mouth.In the month since we'd moved in, Yale had given me nothing but a key. Whenever I forgot to bring it, I had no choice but to wait until he got off w

"That's impossible!" Yale blurted out, unable to believe what he'd just heard. "We agreed to get our marriage certificate today! Why would Zoey take an overseas assignment, especially one that lasts five years?"His disbelief quickly turned to anger."You're lying to me, aren't you? Zoey's right there with you, isn't she? Tell her that if she doesn't show up within the hour, she can forget about us ever getting married!"His furious outburst was met with a long silence. After a moment, Megan finally asked the question she'd been holding back."Did you really make those plans with Zoey?"Yale froze. "What's that supposed to mean?"She drew a deep breath, as though she was finally ready to get everything off her chest."I'm asking whether you actually discussed any of this with Zoey, or whether you and that two-faced Willa just decided everything yourselves. Did you even bother asking if Zoey was free that day? Whether she wanted to marry you?"Yale's expression shifted, but he stubbornl

Ignoring Willa's tears and protests, Yale cleared every trace of her from the house. He threw her out along with all her belongings and even deleted her fingerprint from the door lock.As he removed her access, he heard the personalized welcome message.When he'd first registered Willa's fingerprint, he'd only wanted to make it easier for Zoey's best friend to visit. He'd never imagined Willa would use that small gesture to pursue her own agenda.He couldn't bear to think how Zoey must have felt if she'd heard that message, especially when he'd never given her anything more than a key to their home.He'd made sure Willa could get in with a fingerprint, yet hadn't even bothered to do the same for Zoey.Regret gnawed at him, sharpening his voice as he warned Willa."I trusted you because you were Zoey's best friend, and you took advantage of that. From now on, stay away from me. If I ever see you again, I'll make sure your workplace gets a full account of how you tried to break up someon